Fallen Angel
by animeinvasiongirl
Summary: Kagome has returned to her own life for good, but is being kept a secret from the rest of the world. Now she's being drawn into the world that wanted to keep her sheltered. An Inuyasha/Yu Yu Hakusho crossover. Kagome/Yusuke. Chapter 3 uploaded 10/12/12
1. Compassion

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. They belong to their respective owners. I make no profit from the writing of this fanfiction story. Ideas within are mine, and mine alone.

Fallen Angel

Chapter One

Compassion

There was blood pouring from his wounds, coating his green uniform to turn the light-olive colored uniform into dark, almost black wrappings. He thought he could take on the demon by himself, and he'd managed to bring it down and kill it with a powerful blast of his spirit gun, but not before he took some severe damage of his own. With his hand shaking, he reached into the torn pocket of his uniform to retrieve the tiny spherical communicator that would call help to his side. Botan would come, he'd get a portal to Genkai's shrine, and Yukina would heal him. He'd be fine, even if his body was protesting most harshly that he was _not_ fine. He managed to flip open the corner of the communicator and Botan's cheery face popped up only to turn into a grimace of horror.

"Yusuke!" she shouted, making the toushin's ears twitch at the harsh sound.

"Yeah, no shit. Come and get me Botan!" he shouted as loud as he dared, as he scanned the area mentally for more demons or opponents that he might have missed. The blue haired grim reaper didn't waste any time and a few moments later, she appeared by his side and actually turned slightly green at the amount of blood and guts on the ground around the spirit detective. He gave her a questioning look before she moved to help him stand, and he nearly threw up as a wave of pain washed over him. He instantly placed a hand over his mid-section, where the blood was flowing dark, and unnaturally. He knew that something bad had been perforated by the sharp, unrelenting claws of the demon he had been fighting, but there was nothing he could do to staunch the blood; not with only one hand. The grim reaper didn't comment on the obviously harsh wounds, as she walked him gingerly back through the portal, this time one that led straight into Genkai's house.

The elder mentor to the toushin was the first to notice the severity of the wounds and she moved into action as she helped Botan move him into one of the rooms. She stripped down one of the beds and lay him down. Yusuke was just gritting his teeth to keep himself from screaming as the pain seared through him unmercifully. His breathing was labored and he nearly passed out from the movement of things inside of his body that shouldn't have been moving at all. He barely recognized Botan's voice when she asked Genkai where Yukina was. "She went into town with Kuwabara. I don't know when she'll be back, and he didn't want to be contacted by Koenma, so he left his communicator here." She answered with barely concealed worry in her voice. It could be minutes, or hours before her return, and there was no way to contact her. Yusuke wouldn't last hours without treatment. She was half tempted to take him to a human hospital, but to explain his wounds would be nearly impossible. If Hiei would have been there, she would have had him erase their memories but he wasn't, and if getting a hold of Yukina was difficult, getting a hold of Hiei was impossible. No one contacted Hiei unless he allowed them to contact him.

"I'll go see if I can find Kurama. He's not the best healer, but he has plants that could help." Botan said, moving to make another portal even as the thought escaped her lips. Genkai turned and said, "Wait!" The grim reaper looked with confusion to the elder manipulator.

"I know someone we can contact. She's a miko, and she has healing abilities. Powerful ones." Genkai said, without explaining further. She went and picked up the phone before dialing a number, one that was picked up after three rings.

"Hello, Higurashi residence." Came the voice on the other line. The voice was of a young girl, and Genkai fought back the urge to hang up. She had wanted to protect the girl from this life. She had trained the girl on the side for the past couple of years, but at Koenma's insistence, she had kept her from meeting the rest of the Reikai Tantei, and from introducing her to other demons in this time. But she wouldn't sacrifice Yusuke if she could save him. Promise or no promise, Yusuke would always come first to her.

"Kagome, I need your help." She said darkly, instantly gaining the miko's attention.

"Genkai-sama?" she questioned, her voice already bubbling with anxiety and apprehension. The energy manipulator never called her or contacted her in any way unless it was training related. She had been mysteriously contacted by the elder woman after her final trip through the well, the one that left her trapped in her own time, no longer free to roam between the Sengoku Jidai and the present. The woman came always to the shrine, she'd never gone to wherever the woman lived. At first, Kagome was wary of the woman, but as time went on, she learned to trust her. Genkai trained her how to use her power, and how to manipulate it much like the woman did her own power. If she'd known there was someone in her time who could have helped her use her dormant miko energies, she would have trained them long ago, and perhaps the final fight would have been different.

"Child, I have need of your power. A woman will be there in moments with blue hair, riding an oar. Don't question her appearance and go through the portal she will create." She said shortly, before nodding to the stunned ferry girl. Said ferry girl nodded and quickly opened a portal to the area directed by the elder manipulator.

"Of course, Genkai-sama." Kagome said softly, but firmly. Internally, her insides were a bunch of knots of worry and uncertainty. She didn't know what was wrong, but if she could help, she would do all in her power. She owed the woman for training her and teaching her the things she'd never known before about her power. With her teachings, Kagome was able to take care of the Shikon no Tama on her own, without worrying about getting other people hurt or involved in her duty. She heard the buzzing of the phone that indicated that the woman hung up on her end, and Kagome raced from the kitchen to the front alcove where her shoes were held, and one odd item: a bow with a quiver of arrows.

Quickly, she grabbed up the arrows and bow, and slipped on her tennis shoes. They were so much more practical than her school regulation shoes that she wore so often in the Feudal Era of Japan. She didn't have to inform her mother of where she was going; she and Souta were both gone with her grandfather to a summer vacationing spot in Kyoto. Kagome would have loved a vacation, but her worry about the Shikon being out in the open like that so far from the comfort and security of the shrine had her passing on the trip. She bound out of the front door and locked it behind her before she turned to meet the worried eyes of the person described by Genkai.

"Kagome?" the woman asked, even as the young miko nodded and raced across the few feet between them.

"I'm ready." She said, and the blue-haired ferry girl re-opened the portal that would take them both back to the energy manipulators, and to the direly injured Yusuke.

Those few moments that they were away, Genkai tried to place pressure on the large wound that crossed the toushin's stomach. He screamed in pain as soon as she touched the opening, unable to hold back expressing some of that anguish. "Fuck, Grandma!" he screamed out, as residual tears raced down his face.

"Feel free to scream, dimwit. After all, once you are healed we will be increasing our regiment's ten-fold." She informed him, as she attempted to keep her fear at his injuries hidden. Their eyes met before a foreign girl's voice broke over the room.

"Genkai-sama!" Kagome said, as she nearly fell to her knees as she came through the unusual portal that Botan had opened for her. It was unlike going from her time to the past, so she was disoriented slightly, but as soon as she saw blood her face instantly turned grim and focused. She moved around to the other side of the bed, and her eyes fell upon a young man. His hair was jet black, but it was dirty, and disheveled. The green uniform he was wearing was spread black with blood, and he was crying out his pain, though he seemed unaware of the tears. His hands were gingerly placed over his wound, covered in the brick red of his own blood. Sapphire eyes met chocolate brown and for a moment, his pain turned to shock, and confusion before it slipped back into agony as Genkai pressed again on the wounds.

He screamed again as he shouted out, "Stop fucking doing that!" Kagome nearly jumped at the scream, but at the use of profanity her expression gentled as she remembered another person who would have shouted the exact same thing. Her eyes lifted to Genkai before she said, "You're doing more harm than good. Please, let me take it from here, Genkai-sama."

The elder manipulator lifted her eyes in confusion and even defiance before she nodded once abruptly and stepped back with blood on her clothes and hands. A sheen of sweat was coating Yusuke's brow as he forced himself to keep breathing. His eyes lifted again to the girl who came to his side. She was like some sort of fallen angel, with blue-black hair and sapphire eyes. She felt of power, though he didn't know what kind of power it was. He didn't know what she planned to do, but before he could say anything, he felt her hand at his forehead, and that power that she was nearly soaked in flowed into his body. The last thing he heard before he passed out was, "Rest. When you wake up, everything will be fine." Her voice was just as soft as the touch of her hand and the last thing he saw was the warm, comforting smile and the tender compassion in her sapphire eyes.

Kagome watched his eyes close and with a soft breath, she moved her hands to quickly remove the remnants of his uniform from the wounds they were concealing from her sight. She grimaced at the squelching sound that the strips made, but as soon as they were removed, she shifted her hands over the larger of the lacerations and brought forth her power. It went deeply into his skin, and she nearly gasped at the feeling of his demon energy coming to meet her priestess powers. Her eyes flew to Genkai and the woman had the audacity to look guilty but she would not apologize for holding the information away from her pupil. Kagome knew demons existed, but she hadn't known or felt what Yusuke was. Perhaps the manipulator would have to teach her other uses for her power, but for now, as long as she healed the toushin, that was all she asked for.

Kagome focused back on her patient, and as the wounds finally began to close with fresh, smooth skin, tinged slightly red from healing so fast, she relaxed. Her hands floated over other wounds she found on his body and she felt the distinct drain as she poured her energies into him. He was a hanyou of some sort, and the young miko could almost see a shape of his inner demon as it came to greet her. She let her soothing power touch that part of him before she stepped back, and nearly fell back. She caught herself on a nearby chair before she looked to her teacher and the strange woman who came to fetch her. "He'll be fine. He just needs rest. The spell I used should hold for a few hours." She said softly, as she carefully walked around the bed, and looked to the blood-stained hands of the other two women.

She looked at her own hands and her eyes filled with sadness at the sight of his crimson life-force on them. Her eyes turned back to him before she shook her head and smiled softly. He would be fine. She had to believe that. She knew it, too, deep in her heart. He would heal. Just like Inuyasha had. She shook her head at the flood of memories that came to greet her as she turned back to Genkai. "Thank you, Kagome. You have done well, today." The woman said, as the young miko nodded, accepting the praise, but not fully believing in it. Her psyche had been damaged too much in the past, and she hadn't had the therapy needed to recover her sense of self. The woman knew nothing about the girl's fragile mind, and didn't bother to ask, either. Koenma knew briefly of it, but he believed that in her learning of her power that she would recover that piece of herself. That was not the case, but it was also something that Kagome herself didn't dwell on. There was no Kikyou or Inuyasha here to tear her down. Though, time wasn't a strong enough deterrent to protect her. Even now, a piece of herself was gone, somewhere in the world where she couldn't reach it. She shook off the slight ache at her center as she thought of that missing part, as she focused on the here and now. Holding her head as high as she was able, she looked back to the other woman; the one who retrieved her from her shrine.

"I must get back." She said softly, before Genkai nodded. She didn't want Koenma to find out that she'd had the girl here when he expressly forbade her to have any interaction with the Tantei. Botan, with a look of confusion and a glance of uncertainty to the energy manipulator, opened another portal and led the young miko through it back to her shrine. Kagome waited for Botan to disappear before she went inside and set down her arrows and bow back by the door. She slid off her shoes before she moved towards the living room. The energy drain on her was great and she fell onto the couch unceremoniously as she passed out, blacking out to the rest of the world.

Hours later, Yusuke's eyes flew open and he reached his hand down to place over his stomach. He expected to feel his insides and fresh blood, but all he felt was the soft, yet firmness of his own skin. His hands were clean of blood, courtesy of Yukina, and he was in a pair of pajama pants that stayed here at Genkai's. His eyes flew around the room as if to find the source of his healing, or the girl with the brilliant sapphire eyes that lulled him into some sort of dreamless sleep. Finally, not finding her or anyone else for that matter in the room, he bellowed out, "Grandma? Where in the hell are you?"

His door creaked open and he slowly tried to lift from his spot on the bed, only to wince lightly. It didn't hurt per se, but the skin had healed too quickly and hadn't been stretched properly as it healed, so the feeling was unusual and almost felt like it itched. The person behind the door wasn't who he'd called for though, as Yukina came into the room. "Yusuke?" she questioned, as she came more fully into the room with a tray of soup and a glass of water.

His expression softened a few notches as he looked to the cerulean eyes of the koorime. They were beautiful, but they weren't the eyes he remembered. He was sure the pain might have made him hallucinate who was by his side, but he didn't think he could have made up such a vision. "Yukina…hey, do you know where Genkai is?" he questioned, as he watched her cross the room and place the tray on his bedside table.

"She went out a little while ago. She didn't tell me where she was going. Do you feel like you could eat something?" she questioned, as she took a seat in the chair beside his bed. The toushin looked angry, and disappointed as he glared at the door, but at the mention of food, he turned back to the koorime. He looked to the hot food and felt his stomach twitch. He wasn't sure if that was because of the injuries or the smell of food, but he wouldn't pass up a free, hot meal. He leaned up gingerly against the headboard of the bed before he placed the tray over his lap, and started to eat the tasty soup. His eyes remained full of concentration as he forced himself to remember what had happened before he fell asleep.

"Wasn't there someone else here, earlier?" he questioned her as he finished his food under her watchful eye. The koorime looked confused as she shook her head.

"No, no one else has been here that I know of. Kazuma dropped me off back here a little while ago, and Genkai said that you had been injured and to keep an eye on you. You have been sleeping since I returned. Why do you ask?" she asked him as she gave him her own version of worried eyes. If he imagined someone else there then it may have been a very serious injury indeed.

He shook his head before saying, "Never mind. The soup was great, thanks. It really hit the spot." He said, changing the topic of conversation. The young koorime blushed lightly before smiling and nodding. She took the tray wordlessly as she stood, and moved towards the doorway.

"You're welcome. If you feel up to it, Hiei, Kurama, and Kazuma are all here in the living room. I believe Kurama was making you something to help ease your pain." She informed him before she disappeared out of the room. He moved his legs out of the bed and again he winced as he felt his skin pull where it had healed together. He finally looked down at where his injuries were worst and his eyes widened in shock. There was not even a scar remaining. Even Yukina couldn't have done so good of a job on his horrible injuries. His hand gingerly touched the pale skin again before he moved to stand. He felt almost normal except for the pull of his skin as he walked each step gingerly towards the door. He opened it slowly before he peered his head out and saw that indeed, his teammates were in the living room. The television was on, but it didn't look as if they were interested in it.

Yusuke frowned before he moved out of the room and down the hallway lightly, with his hand on the wall for extra balance. His stomach muscles stretched and moved uncomfortably as he moved, but otherwise he felt no pain as he made his way down the corridor. Kurama was the first to acknowledge him as he stood and moved towards the toushin. "Yusuke, we heard you were hurt badly. Are you alright?" he questioned, even as he inspected the other man for injuries or wounds that would need further healing.

He shook his head at the question before saying, "Nah, it was nothing serious." He didn't want to worry them about the demon; and the fact remained that he killed the demon and he came out alive, by some miracle that he couldn't fully remember.

"That's right. Nuthin' could keep you down, Urameshi." Kuwabara spoke up with a grin as he noticed his friend entering the room. Hiei didn't speak as he moved from the wall towards the toushin with swift, almost angry strides.

"You smell of a miko." He said, as his eyes did all but bore holes into the toushin's. Kurama started before he allowed Youko more access to the surface of his skin and Kuwabara turned in his chair to feel out what the hiyoukai apparently felt, or smelled, on the toushin. Both felt the lingering traces of holy priestess energy on their friend and Yusuke looked back at them with confusion.

"A miko?" he questioned, as he looked to the worried, and shocked, looks of his friends. "A miko…healed me?" he questioned aloud as he looked with bewilderment to those around him. Hiei blinked, his own confusion evident and Kurama looked worried as he moved to place an arm around Yusuke's shoulders.

"Maybe you better sit down and tell us what you remember before you woke up." He advised as he helped the toushin to an empty chair. Yusuke wasn't sure what to make of the situation and he didn't really want to share what he remembered, but if he wanted to have any luck finding the girl who saved his life and healed him he would have better chances if he shared with his fellow teammates.

"Well I was fighting the demon, and he got in on me. He swiped at me pretty bad before I blasted his ass. I called Botan to come and get me with my communicator, and she brought me here. Grandma took me to my room, and after that it's kind of fuzzy. Someone was going to go get you, Kurama, but the next thing I know, there's this girl beside my bed and she said…" he paused, as he frowned and each of his teammates looked to him curiously before he repeated softly, "…Rest. When you wake up, everything will be fine." Each demon looked at him with intense scrutiny as Kuwabara said with a laugh, "Are you sure you didn't imagine some girl saying that?" he teased the toushin.

Yusuke growled before he shouted out, "Fuck no, I didn't imagine her! How the hell else did I get healed if she wasn't the one who did it? No offense Hiei, but Yukina doesn't have the ability to heal like this." He said, gesturing to his smooth skin as he looked into the crimson eyes of the hiyoukai. Hiei would have started a fight if the toushin hadn't have been right. His sister was a great healer, but she did not have the ability to leave the skin without scars. He didn't know anyone who had that kind of healing ability. Kuwabara looked as if he were going to comment back about that, but Kurama beat him to the punch.

"It is true that this is an extraordinary amount of healing in so short a time. Do you remember what she looked like?" he questioned, as he looked again at the healed tissue on Yusuke's torso.

"She had long black hair and blue eyes." He said simply, trying not to act like she had had an effect on him. Her hand had been so soft, and her eyes had been so tender and warm; no one had ever looked at him like that before, not even Keiko or his own mother.

"Blue eyes? That's rare for a Japanese person. Perhaps she was a foreigner?" Kurama commented lightly as he leaned back and gave Yusuke a little breathing room. Hiei was trying to relax but at the thought of a miko being at the same temple where his sister resided was making him very uneasy.

"Have you both forgotten that a _miko_ was here?" he questioned harshly as he gripped the hilt of his katana in order to steady himself so he wouldn't go searching for her vague scent and kill her for being that close to his sibling. Miko's were danger, and dangerous to his kind. He didn't know what her game was to be healing Yusuke, even if he was only half-demon, but he didn't like it. He didn't trust the situation.

"So? She could have killed me but she healed me, and healed me better than anyone else could have. Grandma had to have let her come in or she wouldn't have been here. She must trust her." Yusuke spoke up as his voice grew in volume. The girl hadn't done anything but heal him, and she let him get the rest he so desperately needed, and Hiei was already calling for retribution. She hadn't hurt him or anyone else. If the hiyoukai thought that he was going to kill the miko just for being what she was, he had another thing coming.

Kurama saw the argument brewing to new and dangerous levels and he spoke up to intervene but before he could say anything, a familiar voice spoke up. "None of you will touch her or go near her or I will kill you myself."

Four heads turned to meet the old, wizened face of Genkai and she frowned fiercely at them. "She will not come near you, or go after you. She did me a favor, coming here to heal Yusuke. You will leave her alone or face the consequences." She said with a gravelly voice.

"Who is she, Genkai?" Kurama asked politely, as if his charm would gather him the answers he sought more than the forcefulness that his fellow teammates were prone to use.

"None of your business, fox." She replied in that same dark voice. "She is under Koenma's protection and more importantly, mine. She is a miko, that is true, but she is a very unconventional miko, and she is to be left alone. Do you understand me?" she questioned, as she gave a piercing glare to each of the Tantei in turn.

The kitsune was shocked at the manipulators stance but he realized that she wouldn't give him any more information. Hiei looked unsatisfied with the reply but he begrudgingly admitted to himself that if Genkai and Koenma spoke for this unknown miko, that he and his sister were safe from danger of purification. Yusuke was the one most displeased with this turn of events and the answers that Genkai was hiding from all of them. Kuwabara seemed unconcerned and turned back to the television. Kurama was holding back a smirk at the thought of finding out who this mystery girl was and breaking through the red-tape so to speak to find her. Youko was always looking for a challenge or a puzzle and a miko that had the power to heal without leaving any scars was an interesting find indeed.

Genkai sighed unceremoniously and moved towards the back of the house. "I mean it guys. She has earned what little peace she can find. Leave her alone." She said, earning another confused, and intrigued look from those who were interested in the mystery girl. Hiei frowned again before he moved out of the house and into the nearby forests. He could detect no scent of her out here so she must have been brought into Yusuke's room specifically by portal. That reassured him that she wasn't traipsing around outside on the grounds. She had been brought in to heal Yusuke, and then taken away again. With a slight nod of satisfaction, he let his lingering worries slip away as he relaxed in one of his favorite trees.

Yusuke followed Genkai out of the room, hell bent on getting some answers, more than what she was sharing at present. "Who was she, Grandma? What's her name?" he questioned as he followed the elder woman towards the kitchen.

Kurama kept his senses open to hear any other valuable information that he might obtain. He knew that the toushin was special to the energy manipulator and that might mean that she would give him more information than she would to the rest of them, teammates or not. Genkai turned around and growled lightly at her apprentice before she said, "No, Yusuke. She saved your life. I owe her at least the secrecy of her name." her eyes softened lightly, a motion not missed by the toushin before her eyes hardened again. It was more than one reason that kept her mouth shut where the girl was concerned. Koenma was a huge reason, but knowing what she did know of the girl's past was a key factor as well. She had come to respect the girl's spitfire personality and the inner strength that she held even in the face of adversity. It reminded her of Yusuke. She had been toyed with far worse than the toushin had and she still managed to smile. It made the older woman admire her, though she admired very few.

Yusuke was ready to turn this into a grade A shouting match, but the woman didn't give him a chance. "Besides, you shouldn't be worried about her. You remember what I said about our new training regiments?" she said, with a glittering maliciousness in her eyes. The toushin gulped nervously before he said, "Hey, I just got out of bed, shouldn't I rest some more before we get started?" he held out his hands in a placating gesture even as he moved back down the hall towards his room.

"Nonsense. Why put off to tomorrow what you can do today?" she replied with an almost evil smirk. Kurama held in a chuckle at his friend's misfortune, as he moved to vacate the house. He hadn't received any new information, but he could at least try a search on his own. It had been centuries since he was able to pull out all of the stops in pursuit of anything. He was well-known and he had all sorts of connections in the human realm as well as the Makai. If he truly wanted something, or to find someone, all he had to do was ask his informants and within hours he would obtain whatever he wished. He had a feeling that this situation would be different. If Koenma was keeping it a secret, he wondered how hard he would have to try to gain the information he sought. Already, Youko was pleased at the thought of tracking down someone that seemed so out of reach. It pleased the part of him that loved a challenge. He almost pitied how soon the chase would be over, for he knew that if he really tried, he would find the mysterious girl soon enough.

He would be frustrated long before he gained the answers he sought.

A/N: Supposed to be a one-shot, but it turned out to be more than that. This won't be long though, a possibly two or three shot. Hope you enjoy.

Thank you to those who favorite, review, and watch this. I appreciate the enthusiasm and encouragement.

Kudo's, loves~

animeinvasiongirl aka Sayuri-chan


	2. Acceptance

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. They belong to their respective owners. I make no profit from the writing of this fanfiction story. All ideas within are mine and mine alone.

Fallen Angel

Chapter Two

Acceptance

Yusuke was exhausted as he collapsed unceremoniously onto the front porch of the temple. It had been three weeks since his near death experience, and Genkai hadn't lied when she told him that his training regiments were going to increase ten-fold. Sweat poured down his face, and his hair, usually so tidy, was plastered to the sides of his face and stuck up in the back at odd angles. Even if he was part-demon and even if Genkai had lost the majority of her power to him when she died the first time, she was still a slave-driver and she still knew how to push him to his limits. He had to appreciate the work-out, even if he did think the entire thing was a pain in the ass. He barely had time to gather enough strength to stand when he heard a familiar voice call out, "It's about _time_ you came back! Do you know how long I've been waiting, Yusuke?"

He groaned into the hardwood floor of the porch before he forced his shaking muscles to support him one more time to put him on his feet. "Keiko…sorry, she was really pushing me out there." He said, trying to be nice instead of jumping into a fight. He was worn out, so he was trying to avoid another verbal fight with her. He just didn't have it in him right this second to shout. She didn't seem to notice his disheveled appearance or how worn out he was as she stomped up, literally stomped up, to his face and pointed a finger at him.

"You don't have to be here. Besides, I _told_ you to quit the Spirit Detectives. You can't fight demons and be a husband and father at the same time. You can't be in danger like that all the time! What would happen to me and any children we would have if you were suddenly gone?" she questioned, bringing up the same old familiar points that she had each time they fought. She was pushing at him to marry her and settle down, but he wasn't ready to give up the fighting and the thrill of his powers to turn into Keiko's little domestic husband; not that he'd ever be that kind of person to begin with, but it was the principle of the matter. "I won't wait forever, Yusuke. You need to figure out what's more important to you." She said, as she crossed her arms over her chest. Suddenly, it was quiet around them and he noticed that whoever was left in the house had moved further away from the confrontation taking place outside of the front door. _'Thanks a lot, guys.'_ Yusuke thought grimly as his face hardened.

"You're important to me, Keiko." And she was, she always had been, but the fighting was important to _him_ and she didn't seem to care about that. She was trying to strip away from him the things that made him, well him, and what kind of life was that going to be for him?

"You have a funny way of showing it, Yusuke. You broke our date again!" she shouted, as she glared up into his chocolate brown eyes. For a second, he saw blue eyes, but they disappeared as she shouted, "Are you even _listening_ to me?"

"No, I don't think I am." He said, trying to push her buttons. He was getting his second wind and he was pissed. Keiko looked shocked at him before he said, "I'm tired of you worrying about yourself all the time. I love fighting, and I love being a Spirit Detective. I'm not going to quit because of a little danger. If you can't handle that then maybe you need to find some pansy-ass corporate sleaze to shack up with because I'm not going to change. Not for you or anyone!" he declared in a loud, firm voice. He was briefly wondering why he hadn't thought of this before. She broke up with him all the time and they got back together. He wondered what would happen if he was the one breaking up with her. Would she come back to him? He almost wondered if he cared. He had loved her since they were children, but he only realized what kind of love he had for her when he was in his late teens. But so much had changed between them since the emergence of his job as a Spirit Detective, and none of those changes were conductive to their relationship when she wanted to be number one, and treated like a princess. He didn't have the patience or refinement for a princess; what he needed was a girlfriend, or a wife. He needed someone that would cater to _his _needs once in a while and someone that would support him even if he was in danger. He needed a friend, and a companion, not someone that he had to baby-sit. It seemed all he was doing with Keiko was reassuring her that he did love her, and taking her shit because she felt she had the right to be disgruntled.

For a moment, he started mentally. He couldn't remember the last time they kissed or he even felt remotely interested in her physically or emotionally. Didn't that say something about their relationship? Keiko looked shocked that he'd said that to her face and she lifted her hand, more than intent on slapping him across the cheek, but before her hand made contact, a wrinkled hand snaked out lightening fast and wrapped around the pale, smooth skin of the young woman. Keiko and Yusuke both looked quickly to the almost scowling face of the elder energy manipulator, each with various degrees of shock on their faces. "You may strike him on your own free time, at your own house, but this is my house and you will not treat him like a disobedient dog while I am around." She said darkly, earning a look of disbelief from Keiko and a look of pure shock from Yusuke.

Normally, she would have let the two sort out their own indifferences, but almost losing Yusuke had awoken a protective streak in the elder woman that she hadn't known existed before now. Toguro had had invoked this feeling in her before, but she had not felt it for decades. Perhaps it was the fear that her apprentice could have died without any help and there was no way for her to stop it. Perhaps it was that fear that he had come so close to being permanently injured, or permanently dead. Whatever the reason, however, she would not allow Keiko to harm him for simply being who he was. The fighting and the danger was a part of Yusuke. It was in his very blood; his very soul. Taking the fight from him was like taking sugar from a cookie. You would still have a cookie, but it wouldn't taste that good.

"You have no right, Genkai!" Keiko said, her voice more than appalled at the audacity that the elder manipulator had to stop her from slapping her own boyfriend. "This is none of your business!"

Yusuke shock turned to a hard glare, but before he could shout back something less than diplomatic, Genkai retorted, "You are not the only one who cares about his well-being! If you cared one ounce about him you would not ask him to give up his very livelihood for some fantasy world where he is a domestic cow." It was rather eloquent for the older woman, and Yusuke had to stop himself from laughing. The seriousness of the situation, and the fact that Genkai was livid was all that kept his response fairly neutral.

"A domestic…?" Keiko spluttered almost incoherently before she pulled her hand from the woman's grasp. "He is my boyfriend and I've known him for nearly his entire life! Who are you to lecture me about him? I'm just worried about his safety! You just care about him saving the damn world all the time!" she shouted back, earning another glare from the toushin. The woman was about to speak, as was Yusuke, when a new voice, only a vaguely familiar one, spoke up.

"Is there something wrong? Genkai-sama?" Yusuke smiled in spite of himself as he turned his head to meet the sparkling sapphire eyes of the girl who had healed him. She had tracked her mentor down with the help of her grandfather, who had gotten to know the woman a bit more personally than she had. Her family had since returned from their Kyoto vacation, and she had seen more pictures and heard more stories than she ever wanted about the fabled city. She had missed a great time, but the pull of the ancient bauble at her side reminded her where her priorities were to lay. She understood her duty, even if Inuyasha did not.

Yusuke didn't expect her to come back to the temple, at least, not of her own volition. Even the elder manipulator was surprised to see her pupil walking across the temple grounds towards the growing conflict. Hiei, who was watching the fight with barely hidden boredom, perked up at the arrival of the miko, and he didn't hesitate to get on guard. He didn't trust her, and he didn't know if he ever could. He would watch carefully and make sure that she didn't threaten his sister, him, or even Yusuke. If it came to that, she would die, and he would deal with the consequences later.

Her power was warm and soothing, the direct opposite of the emotions racing through each person involved. Genkai felt that gentle caress and she took a deep breath, feeling some of her unconscious tension leave her body. Kagome's power was unique—it was powerful, but it wasn't meant for fighting. It was meant for healing, for soothing, and for protecting. Sure, it could kill demons with little hesitation, but it wasn't necessarily for offense. Her miko energies were meant to sooth and heal, not destroy and maim. Yusuke locked eyes with the young girl and she smiled back at him gently, again, giving him that pure, untainted look of compassion and tenderness. There was a little worry around her eyes, but that couldn't pull away from the goodness she radiated. Even her body screamed innocence and light, and Yusuke hadn't experienced feeling an aura so light and warm before, nor had Hiei, and he'd had centuries of brushing against holy entities of monk and miko alike. It made him pause and examine her closely. There was always some sort of taint in each of the holy humans he'd encountered. They hated demons for killing a loved one, or they held bitterness in their hearts for what they were. They always had a spark of darkness within them, but she had none; not one drop. However, there was something else about her; something disconcerting. Her soul, while pure and clean, was incomplete. There was a large piece of her soul that was gone, and he could literally feel the ragged edge where someone had forcefully ripped away part of her very essence. Who could steal part of a soul, especially a soul as pure as hers, and leave her to live? How could she survive without a complete soul? Why was she still so pure with something like that happening to her? Boggled by the puzzles and the unanswered questions, Hiei's ire faded as he looked over her, puzzling much like Youko would. He hadn't encountered an entity like her before, and it perplexed him. He should have held on to his fear, but he couldn't find himself to be afraid of someone who had obviously suffered, and was suffering now. To live without a complete soul, it had to be maddening.

Genkai had known since she first touched the girl's unique energies that something big was missing, but she didn't know that it was part of the girl's very soul. Yusuke wasn't spiritually aware enough to notice it, either, but none of that mattered at this very second. What mattered was that she had come upon a very precarious situation, and Keiko, now blushing at the unwanted attention, was going to give the interloper a piece of her mind.

"No, nothing is _wrong_." She said pointedly, as she glared at the smile on Yusuke's face. She didn't know who this other girl was, but the toushin was obviously happy to see her and that didn't set well with the young girl. Her immediate thought was that he was cheating on her, but the girl didn't look as enamored with Yusuke as Yusuke was with her. So that just left one other option; the girl was competition for the toushin's affections, and that just wouldn't fly with her. "We were just talking about something that obviously doesn't concern you, so butt out." She said with a stiff upper lip. Genkai growled slowly into the air, and it made the young girl start. She frowned with confusion to the woman before the elder manipulator pointed towards the steps that led down out the side of the mountain that was her home.

"Leave. You are not welcome here any longer, Keiko." She said darkly, as she had to fight to keep her own anger and frustration in check. Kagome had been worried about her and Keiko had gotten downright snooty with the girl, for reasons unknown to her. Kagome bit her lower lip before glancing from Genkai to Yusuke. The two looked angry as they were focused on Keiko and silently, she stepped back and out of the way before saying, "You're right, it's not any of my business, but I would listen to Genkai. This is her house; if she doesn't want you here you have no right to be here." It was said as diplomatically as she could manage, because her own temper was flaring. She wasn't used to someone acting so rudely to her; the last person who had done so was Inuyasha, and she had left him behind five-hundred years in the past.

Keiko's mouth opened in quiet shock before she lifted her head as high as she was able, and marched back across the ground a few steps only to pause and whirl around, intent on having the last word. "This isn't over, Yusuke! When you're ready to come out from behind their apron strings, we'll talk." She made sure that he understood that when they did talk, it wasn't going to be anything pleasant. Kagome lifted an eyebrow in confusion and a little doubtfulness before the girl huffed again at the lack of response and stomped back down the steps and away from the temple. Each person was quiet before Kagome moved back around to look between her teacher and the strange young man she'd healed a few weeks ago. He was already looking at her and she flushed before she cleared her throat, as if trying to gather her thoughts. "Who was that, Genkai-sama? Are you alright?" she questioned, focusing her attention on the elder woman and not on the boyishly handsome man who kept staring intently at her, even as she tried to ignore the feel of his eyes over her person.

Yusuke could hardly believe it. She was here, in front of him, and he was thoroughly floored by her appearance. The thought that she was some sort of fallen angel was nearly accurate. Her hair wasn't just black, but an almost shiny leather black, with tints of brilliant midnight blue hues woven throughout the long tresses. Her eyes were not just sapphire but a myriad of sparks of blue that reflected differently as the sun hit them. Her face was pale, but not unhealthy, and her lips were full, but not unattractively so. As his eyes wandered down to her chest, he noticed that her breasts were sizable, but they suited her, just like her hair, which he saw ran down to the back of her ankles. He'd never seen anyone with hair that long. Her build was slender, but again, it wasn't too thin. She took care of herself, and while she wasn't buff, she was not weak-looking either. There was something more about her, something he couldn't touch, or sense, but there was _something_ that almost made her seem untouchable. Well, he was all about breaking the rules, so it added to the thrill she presented.

He would have kept her in mind as something to be conquered, if it hadn't been for the purity and honesty she held in her eyes. There was also a pain there, which told him she had seen things that most people hadn't. He knew little about her, except that Koenma and Genkai were both protecting her. They wanted to shelter her from…what? He didn't know, but for them to even go out on a limb for her, told him something. It pushed her from just another piece of ass, into a category all her own; a curiosity. He rarely looked at other women with intrigue. Most of that was because of his loyalty to Keiko. Oh sure, he noticed a hot chick, the mother-he'd-like-to-fuck, the athletic-but-smoking bad-ass; but he never saw anything else about them other than their sex appeal. He didn't look for things that would attract him personally. He had Keiko, and he was ever faithful, even if he wasn't entirely happy. He wouldn't dishonor her, or himself, by having a cheap one-night-stand with anyone. At that thought he rolled his eyes mentally. _'I have been hanging out entirely too much with Kuwabara.'_ He thought wryly. He was so busy looking and thinking about the miko in front of him, that he missed the conversation she and his mentor were having with one another.

"…she was really rude! She should not have spoken to you that way, Genkai-sama!" Kagome finished, her little mental tirade stopping on that note. She had put her very life in the hands of the energy manipulator, and thought that even if the woman and that girl weren't close, Genkai was old enough to be respected simply because of her age. She was raised that you respected your elders, no matter what was said or happened. The woman quietly beamed with appreciation. Very few appreciated her like Kagome did. Sure, she knew that Yusuke cared for her, as did the rest of those on the team, and Yukina as well; but Kagome treated her preciously, even if she was harsh and mean to her, or pushed her too hard in their own training sessions. She valued her expertise and trusted her in a way few others did. Truly, it could be misconstrued as naïve and stupid, but Genkai did not think it a bad thing. Because she had the girl's complete trust, she knew that any order, no matter how harsh or painful, would be carried out. She had no wishful thoughts of perfect peace; she knew the danger that demon's posed to the human world. If something were to happen, she knew that nothing would stop Kagome from carrying out her wishes. That was comforting, even if the thoughts were rather bitter in-and-of-themselves.

"Words do not hurt me, child." She spoke back after a moment, and Kagome's tense features softened as she smiled gently.

"I know, Genkai-sama. But it was still rude of her." She pointed out quietly, before her eyes flicked to Yusuke, who was now listening to the conversation. "Are you alright?" she questioned, earning a slightly confused expression from the toushin.

"Me?" he questioned back, as if he couldn't believe that she was speaking to him. Keiko hadn't done anything to him, she hadn't gotten a chance to, and he was surprised that the girl would worry about him.

She nodded back at his question before elaborating, "I came up and Genkai-sama was holding her wrist…did that girl hurt you before that?" she asked, as she moved closer unintentionally as she worriedly looked for any possible injuries to the toushin. He was sweaty, and dirty, she didn't know what he'd been doing all afternoon so she wondered if there was some kind of knock-down-drag-out between the two that she hadn't been privy to.

He shook his head before saying nonchalantly, "Nah, Keiko can't hurt me. She can try, but I'm made of stronger stuff than that." He said with a wink. Kagome's worry eased and she nodded again before she smiled softly.

"That I can believe." She said, before her eyes filled with a little sadness and she looked away towards the volatile fire demon that was standing near them. She didn't recognize him, but he was powerful, and when she first approached, she had felt his anger and uncertainty, but now he was semi-calm. She felt the conflict within him and knew that he was tough; his aura screamed to her and she had to force herself not to offer him her power of comfort. She knew that with little to no provocation he could turn a deadly force on her and kill her. She had no qualms that he was only tolerating her. She knew that he came from a time where miko's like her killed demons like him, and their natural rivalry still held deep meaning in his mind. He was part fire, and part ice. By all rights, he should have been dead, but he so obviously was not. What had he endured in his lifetime? She almost didn't want to know. Part of her knew, and accepted, that it had to have been a harsh, and unrelenting life, and she could empathize.

Hiei saw her looking at him with sad eyes and he nearly growled. He did not want her pity, but as he took a closer look at the strange girl's blue eyes, he saw sadness, and acceptance. Two things he had seen very little of in his long existence. She empathized with him, but she did not pity him. He also saw a lingering pain, and it was a familiar pain. She had experienced some of the things he had; she was an outcast, different from the rest of her kind. She was an oddity, and she was rare. She also had seen death, and destruction. She had seen blood, and pain. She had seen crushed spirits and lost hope. She had seen hell, had been thrown into its dark and painful depths, and had been forced to live with the effects. She had been persecuted and shamed just because of who she was. It was not only that she was a miko, but also because she was Kagome; she was the reincarnation of Kikyou. That alone was a fate she had to live and suffer with; then, in the past, and even now, as she stood in front of him. For a second, his harsh gaze lightened and he met her own saddened gaze with a powerful one of his own. He knew, he understood. It was as good as if he'd declared out-loud, '_I won't kill you. You are safe around me._'

Kagome's eyes softened and she nodded almost imperceptibly to the dark demon. In her own way, she was reciprocating those feelings. He and his would not come to harm by her hands. If any danger was going to befall him and his friends, or his family, it would not be because of her. In that moment, an unspoken trust formed between the two, and Yusuke, unaware as he sometimes was, missed it. Genkai, however, did not, and she looked between her pupil and the deadly fire demon with something akin to hidden awe before Hiei was gone in a blur of black, and Kagome turned her attention back to her and the toushin.

Yusuke blinked past the minute exchange between Kagome and Hiei as he met her gaze again, and Genkai broke the silence this time, asking, "What are you doing here?"

Kagome smiled more easily, though she looked a little bashful as well, as she replied, "Grandpa told me how to find this place. I…" her expression faltered as she allowed worry and uncertainty to creep in. "…you haven't been to see me since I…" she paused again, as her eyes flicked to Yusuke. '_Since I healed him.'_ Was the unspoken thought that hovered on the air. "I was afraid." She finally said, as she allowed some of that fear to show that she had hidden when the atmosphere was tense with hostility.

"What would you have to be afraid of?" the woman questioned, confused and wondering how much she really knew about her pupil.

"I didn't know if…something else happened or if I…f...failed somehow." She tripped over the word. Failure meant almost certain death were she was involved. She had not heard word back from her mentor since that day, and she wondered, and worried herself sick, that something had gone wrong and she had messed up somehow. Her own lack of confidence allowed her worry to eat her up from the inside, out. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and she had forced her grandfather to tell her how to find Genkai, and she had nearly run to this place. Her fears had been soothed when she saw the toushin in fairly good spirits, but that left her wondering why Genkai hadn't been around in nearly a month.

Yusuke nearly reached out for her when she stuttered on the word 'failure'. He didn't know what she had gone through or what had happened to be so afraid of failing. He had heard of parents breaking children's minds by forcing perfection on them, but he hadn't seen or met someone personally who had been mentally tortured like that. Was she one of those unfortunate children? Was that why Genkai and Koenma were backing her so readily? He frowned at the thought.

"You didn't fail. I'm as healthy as I was before. I'm a bit stronger, now, too, because Grandma here has been running me into the ground in training." Yusuke broke in as he stepped forward, trying, in his own way, to sooth away the sudden fear and uneasiness in the air. "You did good, and I'm thankful that you came when you did. I might not be here otherwise." He said, complimenting her, and trying to get her to smile again. Kagome's eyes shifted to his chocolate brown ones and he saw a bit of that uneasiness slide away. Internally, he beamed at himself. He had helped do that.

"You two have been training?" she questioned, as she felt another layer of tension fly away on the air. Her lips curled up in a light smirk as she gestured to his dirty clothes and sweat-matted hair. "I never would have guessed." She felt a little bit at ease at his explanation. Genkai had been busy training him; she couldn't imagine how hard it was to keep up with her own training and this boy's as well.

He smirked back, and said, "Ha ha. You're just a regular comedian." He felt a warmth slip from the top of his head down to his toes when she smiled at him. It seemed so carefree on first glance, but the depth of her eyes conveyed years of hard living, and painful choices. She was not as innocent as she appeared, and he appreciated that about her, though he didn't even know her name. Kagome couldn't help the soft laugh that slipped past her lips as she looked back to Genkai. She was just happy to know that he was alive and well, and that she hadn't failed him.

Genkai was watching the exchange with interest before she once again found herself looking at her other pupil. It seemed an explanation from her was in order. "I've been busy with this dimwit here. We only recently returned from a week-long session of training in the mountains." Her voice was gravelly, and normally, she wouldn't have even bothered with an explanation, but Kagome's eyes held a fragment of hurt and she felt compelled to sooth that even minute sadness away.

Kagome nodded in understanding. "It's alright. I was just worried. I worry too much, I know, but I am glad to see you two are okay." She said softly, honesty and sincerity coloring her voice. Yusuke found himself smiling in spite of himself as he moved to take a seat on the front steps.

"Thanks for checking back up on me, doc." He said with another light grin as he leaned back against the wooden structures. "Though I'd love another dose of your mojo right about now." He said, not really meaning it, but his muscles were stiff and there were a few half-healed abrasions on his body. They'd heal within hours because of his demon blood, but he was nearly dead when he felt her power before. He wanted to actually be awake if there had to be a second time for it.

The young miko looked at him before laughing, though it wasn't all out, it was partially amused, and partially endeared to his personality. He was somehow softer than Inuyasha. Inuyasha was harsh and brash nearly all the time, but this person was not. Though she wasn't sure who would win if these two came up against one another, she wasn't thinking about that when she thought that he was softer than the hanyou. His _personality_ was a few layers softer than Inuyasha's was. Oh, she was sure he could cuss like a sailor, and fight just as dirty and tough, but something kept a lighter air about him, and Kagome appreciated that, though she had no hand in it, and could take no credit for it existing. With that once again, warm, and accepting smile on her face, she closed her eyes a second and let that soothing, healing power wash from her very skin and wrap around the toushin.

He was one minute aching in places he didn't know he had places, and the next he was descended in an almost bath-water warm glow that stole away all of his hurts and left in their wake a gentle, nearly drugging warmth. It wasn't an uncomfortable heat, like being out in 100+ degree temperatures, but rather, it was the warmth of being surrounded by a familiarly scented blanket on a cold winter day. The familiar scent kept the area calm and inviting, and the warmth, kept it comfortable.

Genkai watched with an amused smirk on her face as Yusuke's face slackened and his eyes widened in a momentary reverence for what her power could do. He was awestruck. He could easily let himself drift to sleep in the arms of her energy. It was as if she herself were folding her arms around him, like a loving mother. The power wasn't sexual; it was purely protective. It was as if she had found him and placed invisible band-aids over his wounds and kissed them; as if he were a child and those little, pointless things would truly make a wound better, even if they wouldn't. Of course, her power _did_ heal him, but there was something else about it, some extra punch that nearly brought tears to his eyes. It was, without a doubt, pure, and untainted, compassion. She truly cared for his well-being, though she knew nothing of him, about him, and did not even know his name. His voice caught in his throat and he found himself looking down and away, ashamed for reasons that he couldn't even name. Kagome's eyes opened to find that he was looking down at the ground and she looked questioningly to Genkai. The elder manipulator herself was confused about Yusuke's reaction and she could only show the young miko her uncertainty.

Silently, Kagome stepped forward and leaned down to try and catch his gaze, but he was adamant about not looking at her. She tried to place his reaction; was he afraid of her? No, he wasn't defensive, but he _was_ tense. He looked almost, guilty, like a child who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Why would he be guilty? There was no reason for him to react like that to her, unless…Kagome's mind clicked even as her eyes widened at the thought. She wasn't dull when it came to emotions. She was just as human as some people pretended not to be, and she had learned how to read even the most expressionless face. (Sesshoumaru by far had been the hardest person to learn to read, but even by the end of her travels, she had more or less figured out his mannerisms, or lack there-of.)

He did not feel worthy of her healing, of her freely given kindness. Again, without a sound, she reached forward her hand and smoothed away a stray spike of his hair and placed it behind his ear. He didn't move, but he felt the touch, and he flicked his eyes to her. She was smiling so warmly to him; her eyes were full of gentleness, and her touch moved hesitantly, as if she were a little afraid of hurting him, or doing something that would push him away; her eyes showed nothing but acceptance though, and tenderness. He was valuable to her, as he was. There were no strings attached for her kindness. He didn't think he was worthy of such gentleness. If he was, he would have had someone give him that compassion by now. No, he was just a half-demon, and a bastard. He didn't know who his father was, and his mother cared more for the drink than for him most of the time.

Kagome saw the thoughts form in his eyes before he could speak, and she decided to halt his thoughts before they could fully form. "Are you feeling better now?" she asked softly, trying to pour more of that kindness into her power as it once more enveloped him. He looked startled that she had asked, and he nodded mutely, before her hand gently cupped his cheek. He was shocked into silence as she said softly, "I'm glad. Seeing you hurt hurts a part of me."

His eyes met with hers, and, as if his own body were betraying him, he leaned into her soft hand. He was so weak. He didn't need anything or anyone. He fought his own battles and gathered his own strength. He had a team that backed him when he needed it, but he was strong all by himself. He made his reputation as Urameshi Yusuke, number one ass-kicker of Sariyashiki Junior High. He didn't need anyone; not even Keiko. Sure, he loved Keiko and cared about her well-being, and he would have fought to the death to protect her. He nearly had multiple times; but if she had up and died from a natural cause, he wouldn't have died with her. Didn't that say something, that he wouldn't lose a piece of himself if she were suddenly gone? Wasn't love supposed to be so powerful that parts of yourself were lost to the person you cared for? He didn't know. He knew little about the softer emotions of love, and kindness. He had saved a small child from almost certain death when he had died the first time. Perhaps his kindness tended to be extreme, but he didn't know how to be any other way. Every aspect of his life was extreme in some form; except, for love. And here, this almost ethereal being showed up in front of him, giving him her own form of love, in the appearance of kindness. No one gave him this kind of gentleness before, and he didn't feel he was worth it; she thought otherwise.

She saw the struggle in his eyes as she touched his cheek more firmly, though no-less gently. He had to believe he meant something; if not to her, then to Genkai, or his friends. "Sorry, I'll try not to get hurt next time." He said, somewhat gruffly. It belied what his eyes were screaming at her, and she didn't take his harsh tone to heart. She smiled softly at him; he reminded her so much of Inuyasha, but Inuyasha wouldn't have ever allowed her to get this close to him unless he was dying. It was a sad fact, but true. The only one he allowed that close to him was Kikyou. The thought nearly distracted her but she forcefully pushed it away. He was _not _Inuyasha. He wouldn't reject her…would he?

"Please, look at me." she couldn't help it. The sound coming from her lips was borderline pleading and Yusuke instantly looked up into her eyes. He couldn't help adhering to her request. They were sparkling with unshed tears as she met his eyes head-on. There were a multitude of emotions swimming in her eyes; sadness, confusion, pain, warmth, and longing. He didn't know which was strongest. The moment his eyes met hers though, another, gentler emotion appeared: relief. She was relieved that he was even looking at her. He once again questioned what had happened to her that she was afraid to fail; afraid to be pushed aside; afraid…to be rejected.

Suddenly, the tension and high-running emotions around them spilt over and washed away, as if a storm had come and cleansed them both. They had each seen in the other something that put them on even ground; the fear of rejection; the fear of not being worthy enough in the others' eyes. He knew, instinctively that she would never think that he wasn't worthy of her kindness, and she knew that he would never reject her for not being good enough, or for failing him.

Each found with the other something they had been searching for for nearly their entire lives it had seemed.

Acceptance.

A/N: Here's part two. Hope you all are enjoying this little three-shot or so from me. SFS is on the back burner while I churn out this little ditty. I am still thinking on how to proceed with that one; pairings are a pain in the butt to deal with. Still taking considerations in mind, but hopefully this will help fulfill the Yusuke/Kagome cravings that some of you out there in 0's and 1's land have been having. :)

Next part should be the last one, if not, there will be a couple of chapters more. No more than that, though.

Thanks to all you who favorite, watch, and review this story, and who add me to their favorite author lists. Those little emails in my inbox fill me with a spark of happiness each time I see one. You guys are truly awesome.

Kudos, loves!~

animeinvasiongirl aka Sayuri-chan


	3. Mystery

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha. They both belong to their respective owners. I make no profit from this fanfiction story. All ideas within are mine and mine alone.

Fallen Angel

Chapter 3

Mystery

Kurama had been nearly everywhere a person could possibly be in search of this elusive miko, but all he found were dead-ends, false leads, and empty clearings with whispers of past battles and restless souls. He had been through the Makai, the Ningenkai, the Reikai, and even the Underworld, where the banes of existence were placed, and yet he was no closer to finding the young miko than he was before he started this wild goose chase. He had heard whispers, and slight rumors of a powerful miko, and of a jewel, that of the Shikon no Tama, yet he hadn't found any lingering traces of either the being, or the artifact. He hadn't even found a scroll or written record except for the flashes of script that mentioned a pure-hearted girl and a spider demon.

The girl was most certainly a human, and yet he couldn't help but think that somehow the mysteries he was discovering tied in to the girl he was searching for. Every time he thought he would get close, he was led to a dead-end or found himself looking up leads to nowhere. He was frustrated, and yet, intrigued deeply at the mystery before him. He'd never had so much trouble finding a person before. Humans we're so easy to track, yet this girl was elusive as ever. With a grin and a new boost of perseverance, he made his way to the temple, in case there was some new development and his friends had run into the miko again. That, and he hoped to uncover a clue as to her location from Genkai. It wasn't plausible, but he wouldn't overlook it if there were something there that would lead to him finding her.

He stopped cold when he smelt her scent lingering on the steps to the shrine. He quickly tried to pick up the scent leading away from the temple, but it was gone, and over a week old. He quickly cursed himself for running around in the Makai when she was back at the temple. He could have met her, but he didn't think that she'd come back to the temple on her own. He quickly took the steps three at a time before he crested the hill and he caught a stronger whiff of her unique scent and he growled with pleasure. It was so warm and pure; he'd never smelled anything like it before in his life. He glanced around to find that Yusuke and Genkai were training outside one of the training rooms today, and Hiei was seemingly taking a nap in one of the trees. He didn't move forward to disrupt their training but instead, moved for the main house, and Genkai's room. If he could find one ounce of proof as to the girl's location, then his curiosity could be sated and he could move on to the next big thing. The thought saddened him but he shook it away.

He found Genkai's room bare of any hidden information except for an old photograph, one of her and Toguro in the prime of their youth. He replaced the hidden photo before leaving her room as silently as he'd entered. She kept no record of the girl, not even a phone number or an address. With confusion and irritation, he moved outside and watched as the training session between the manipulator and the toushin came to a close. Yusuke grinned at his red-haired friend before he noticed the slight difference in the kitsune's mood.

"Yo, Kurama. What's shakin'?" he questioned, as he plopped down beside his friend on the porch step that he was also occupying.

"She was here again." He said quietly, before he turned and quirked up an eyebrow at his friend. Yusuke was daft as usual before he said, "Kagome? Yeah, she came last week. You should have been there, Keiko was going to hit me and Grandma…" he was stalled as Kurama's gaze leveled darkly on him. He laughed brightly before saying, "C'mon, man. It's your fault you weren't here. She's really nice, not to mention gorgeous. Man, she had legs that went clear up and made an ass out of themselves." He said with a roguish grin.

The kitsune frowned at the toushin's particular choice of words before he let out a sigh and said, "So you know where she lives? Is she safe to be around?" he questioned, his own uncertainty finally showing at the mystery miko.

Suddenly, a whirl of black came down from the trees and Hiei leveled a stare at his long time friend. "She will not harm us." He said, his tone dark and slightly unforgiving at the implication that the girl would hurt them.

Kurama's eyes widened a fraction before he nodded, not arguing or questioning his friend's position on the matter. The fact that he'd said anything at all though, spoke volumes. It perplexed him further. Yusuke nodded in agreement with his friend before saying, "Yeah, she wouldn't harm a fly. She's got these eyes that just…burn! And her hair…it touches the ground, I swear. Her power is massive, I've never felt anything like it before." He continued, as he went off on a slight tangent about the strange girl, one that he was finding he liked very much.

Kurama listened as Yusuke went on and on about the girl and he frowned before he said, "Did you two find out where she lives? Why did she come here?" he questioned.

Yusuke's stomach did a slight pitch as he remembered why she had come to Genkai's shrine and why she had tracked them down. "She was worried about me, is all. She wanted to make sure I was alright." He said offhandedly, not able to truly voice the reason she had come. Kurama nodded in understanding before he glanced over and saw that Yusuke's eyes were slightly darker and sad, though he didn't know why. He dismissed it as he moved to stand, stretching out to his full height, which was fairly impressive.

"She came to check up on you? That's…strange, for a miko, that is." He said quietly, as his eyes flicked to the familiar red of his long time friend and partner, Hiei. The hiyoukai leveled that stare back equally before he flicked his head to the side and leapt high into the air to go back to his solitary tree. The girl was of no threat to them, therefore, he dismissed it like everything else, taking no interest in the stranger.

"Don't knock her 'til you get to know her, Kurama. She's really nice." Yusuke spoke up with a bit of a darker tone to his voice. Kurama paused and glanced to his friend before he said, "I've no doubt. But she could be lying, or acting." His other half came from a time where miko were feared – they had the power to destroy demons, and therefore were avoided at all costs. Yusuke had never been on the end of a purifying arrow, or held down by special miko-powered wards that immobilized him. Youko had.

Yusuke opened his mouth to say some rather unflattering things about some of _Youko's_ old friends, but Genkai beat him to the punch. "She will not harm any of us. She is a miko, that is true, but she has given me her word, and she's given her word to Koenma. You do not have to worry about her." She said, with a small flash of anger at Kurama for pushing the issue. He held up his hands in a defensive gesture before he said, "Alright. No need to get upset. I just wanted to know." He said, his tone as soft and as diplomatic as ever.

"Well now you know, Kurama." The elder energy manipulator said, as she moved past both Kurama and Yusuke. "We're done here. We'll pick back up tomorrow." She said to the toushin as she disappeared from sight, leaving the fox and detective alone in the now quiet room.

Kurama didn't quite understand why everyone was on edge and defensive of the strange girl. It led to more mysteries that he was itching to unravel. Yusuke scratched the back of his head gently before saying, "Sorry about that…she's…oddly protective of her." Even he didn't fully understand the relationship between Genkai and Kagome.

"I see that." The kitsune replied as he glanced to his friend, pondering how to continue the conversation and get as much information as possible on the strange girl. "So…her name is Kagome?" he questioned, his tone fairly neutral as he tried the most simple approach to gather information.

Yusuke nodded before saying, "Yeah. She lives at the Higure Shrine…" he paused a moment before smirking a little and adding, "…y'know…if you're that worried about her, we could just go visit her. I've been meaning to check up on her and you can finally see that she's not a threat to us." He suggested.

The kitsune's eyes perked up. Though her address would be monumental in finding her…he knew that not just a simple visit would reveal the secrets of the miko. He knew that there was more to her than everyone was saying…and chances were, none of them knew her secrets. That made it perfect in his eyes – what good was a secret if everyone knew it? He smirked lightly to himself before nodding once. "That sounds good, Yusuke. Thank you."

Seemingly satisfied that he had Kurama's motives figured out, the toushin moved towards the steps of the temple before he grinned and glanced back at Kurama. "Race you there!"

The kitsune rolled his eyes before saying, "You never learn, do you…" if Hiei was his opponent, he knew he wouldn't have a prayer, but Yusuke didn't understand how tricky kitsune were, and without knowing it, he'd lose the race.

Yusuke didn't hear that last bit, and was gone and down the steps before Kurama even really began. The race was on, and the competition was harder than the fox gave Yusuke credit for.

Some time later, they were both standing at the steps of the shrine. In the city, it looked like a haven from the rest of the modern world. There were old, towering steps, and a huge, unblocked tree that soared high into the sky. As they crested the stairs, they could see a two-story house sheltered in the corner of the property. There were various buildings on the landscape, and one was particularly interesting, as they felt magic around it that seemed to have faded. The land itself was neatly trimmed and taken care of, but there was no visible trace of anyone around.

A blast of pure, unrestrained power made the two males start with curiosity…and fear. A dying scream echoed in the clearing and both were running towards the source with no prompting. They could smell the faint signs of death on the air, and burning flesh. As they rounded the corner of the house, they came to a standstill when they saw the remains of demons that had apparently, been after Kagome. She stood in the carnage of what had to be a half-dozen or more demons. She looked unharmed, but her hair was standing on end and she had a hand to her mouth. Even from this angle, they could see that she was crying. "Why did you have to come after the jewel?" she said, though she was unaware that she had an audience. "Why couldn't you just go home?"

Jumping into action, Yusuke closed the gap between them and she turned at the feel of his familiar energy. She looked surprised to see him there, and she quickly tried to wipe at her eyes. "…th…they're all gone." She finally said, as she glanced mournfully at the slowly disintegrating corpses around her. Kurama was in awe of the power she held, but was more intrigued by her tears. She was devastated by having to kill demons who wanted nothing more than to kill her. He didn't understand it…but he intended to.

"I see that, you handled everything just fine." He said. He sounded a little proud of her but she shook her head and said, "I didn't want to kill them! I just…I just wanted them to leave…but they wouldn't go, they wanted the jewel…they wouldn't…" and, helpless to do anything else, she broke down completely in tears. A part of Yusuke's heart shattered at her tears, while Kurama was standing there helpless to understand her compassion for beings that obviously wanted to kill her. Who was this girl?

The toushin stood there a moment, unable to figure out what to say, when finally, he just reached out and drew her close into his arms. She latched onto his kindness easier than he thought she would, as she cried into his chest. He didn't know how to truly comfort those who were crying. He hated it when girls cried, but in this case, he knew it was something that couldn't be fixed. Kagome was forced to kill…to save her life. She didn't want to destroy, and he knew that having to kill those demons broke a part of her. It was what she had to do, but a part of her would always mourn that she had to. She mentioned a jewel – apparently they were after something rare that she had, but it wasn't a story he would try and drag from her right now. He rubbed her lower back gently as she clung to him, and if she weren't so upset, he would have enjoyed the feeling more of having her in his arms. Keiko was always acting so tough and strong; she rarely came to him for true comfort. Kagome had already proved that she was willing to show him compassion, so he didn't feel weak for embracing her so openly in front of Kurama.

After a couple of minutes, she pulled back lightly and wiped at her face and eyes. By the time she did, the bodies were gone and nothing but ash remained on the grass – a reminder of what had transpired. Kagome didn't know what to say first – apologize for banking on him for comfort, or thank him for it. If this were Inuyasha, she would have apologized. He hated it when she thanked him, but when she looked up into the chocolate brown eyes of the toushin, she smiled softly, unable to stop it. Her expression was tender, and grateful, something that stopped his breath in its tracks. Even her pain couldn't override how much it meant to her that he was able to comfort her in that simple way.

"Thank you." She said softly, earning a little blush on his cheeks. He shook his head and glanced away, embarrassed that she had such an effect on him, but also not caring too much that she did.

"A-anytime." He replied, with a smirk of his own on his lips. A clearing of a throat got their attention as Kagome looked over his shoulder and saw a taller man, dressed in a magenta school uniform. _'Only a man that pretty can make that color look masculine…' _Kagome thought to herself, as she glanced up to Yusuke, who seemed a little upset that they'd been interrupted.

"That's Kurama…he wanted to meet you." The toushin said, as he gave a once over to his friend before glancing to the area around them. Where there was one, there might be more waiting in ambush, though from what he sensed, she'd gotten the entire group. They dropped their guard around her and because they did, she had fried them all to hell. He truly was proud of her for being able to protect herself when she needed to, though he hated that she had to in the first place. What was this jewel that she mentioned, and why would demons hunt her for it?

"You're part-demon, too…" she looked perplexed a moment as she spoke to Kurama, who looked back at her with curiosity. She could tell what they were? It wasn't too surprising, seeing as how she was a miko, but the way she said it had his attention. She walked forward towards him and he had to force himself to not tense. The way she and Yusuke had embraced proved that she had no ill-will towards demons in general, but she did just have to wipe out a few of them, so he was a little wary.

"I am." He answered back as they both looked over one another with scrutiny.

"…and you're…you're part kitsune." She said, almost in disbelief as she looked at the handsome visage of the man before her. She should have figured, simply because of his in-human beauty, but somehow her mind just lingered on memories of her own kitsune, her favorite little boy, Shippou. Unimaginable heartbreak filled her eyes before she looked away, unable to take looking at him for a minute.

His eyes were wide with surprise when she looked away after saying that. There was such pain in her eyes when she discovered what kind of demon he was. What would make her eyes look that haunted, just because of what kind of demon he was? He didn't have the courage to break the silence and ask her outright, so he settled for a simple, "Yes. I'm an avatar for a kitsune spirit, to be exact."

She nodded once before she seemed to visibly pull herself together and she looked back up into his eyes. "My name is Kagome." She finally said, as she gave him a soft smile. He was again drawn into the mystery that was this strange girl. Her eyes held compassion that he couldn't comprehend, and a gentleness that even put Yukina to shame. He didn't fully understand how she could hold such a look when just moments ago she'd killed a number of demons. He didn't trust her, but he knew she wasn't lying. She wasn't trying to trick him. The purity and gentleness of her spirit couldn't lie to him. It just left him wondering at her, and her life before this.

Finally he said, "My name is Shuichi Minamino…but my friends just call me, Kurama."

She nodded lightly once before saying, "It's nice to meet you."

"SIS! We're home!" came the shout of a young man's voice from the front yard. Quickly, Kagome glanced to Kurama and then Yusuke before she dashed towards the front yard and gave a wave to a boy that was a little taller than her who was carrying some groceries.

"Welcome back…did you get everything okay?" she questioned, even as the two detectives came out from the backyard and stopped the boy in his tracks.

"Who're they?" he questioned, obvious distrust in his voice as he looked to the two males, and ignored his sister's question.

She shook her head before saying, "I met them through Genkai. This is Yusuke…" she said, pointing towards the toushin, "…and this is Kurama." She finished, gesturing towards the red-head.

He looked between them before he stepped up and drew Kagome back comfortably into a slight hug. "They remind me of Inuyasha. I don't want them here." He whispered quietly into her ear, though it was loud enough that both demons easily heard it.

Her expression gentled before she looked up into her younger brother's eyes. There was sadness there, but understanding. "They won't hurt me." She smiled warmly, earning a pain-filled glance from her brother. "…I trust them."

He shook his head before saying, "You trust everyone, Kagome…" his tone was soft, but it wasn't derisive; rather, it was accepting. His sister was the sweetest, kindest person he knew, but because of that she was also the one who ended up hurting most because of it. After a moment he shot a heated glance to Kurama, and then to Yusuke. It held an unspoken warning in the chocolate depths of his eyes – if they hurt her, he would make them pay, demon or not. Oh, he had no illusions that they were human. Kagome always was meeting the most interesting people.

Slowly, he let her go and moved to walk into the house, shooting one last warning glare towards the two males in his front yard before he disappeared from sight.

"He's quite protective, isn't he." Kurama said, a slight smile curling up at the corners of his lips.

Kagome turned to look at the kitsune before she smiled, though it was sad. "He thinks that if he was stronger…he could have protected me better." She looked down and away, as if struggling with painful memories that no one could comprehend. "…some things you can't protect someone from, no matter how much you want to."

Yusuke ran a hand through his hair before saying, "Ain't that the truth." Even in this tense situation, it was easy for him to be himself, and he'd been, once upon a time, someone who couldn't protect his friends from pain. He remembered Kuwabara's anguished cries and Keiko's tears when he first died. He remembered his teachers, and his mother even, in so much pain it was indescribable.

Kagome turned her head to look at him, and for a minute, she saw a flash of something in his eyes – truth of experience. He wasn't just trying to empathize with her. He'd been there. Knowing that she wasn't alone in her sorrow, she couldn't help but try and erase some of that sadness from his eyes. "Let's go inside…I'll make us some tea." She gave him a warm smile before turning and moving to go in the house.

Yusuke turned and gave a smirk towards the kitsune, but his grin faltered when he saw Kurama's intense look towards the girl. "She's powerful, much more powerful than I imagined." And now he knew who she was. He was worried, but at the same time, conflicted about how he felt about her. It was clear she felt pained at having to destroy the demons who'd attacked her. She was a mystery…one that he wanted to unravel.

Yusuke frowned before saying, "She isn't going to hurt anyone. I trust her." He ran a hand harshly through his hair. "…hell, Hiei trusts her."

Kurama looked to his friend before saying softly, "I don't mean to sound so distrustful, Yusuke, but she is a miko. A miko with an artifact that seems to draw in demons…I don't want to be one of those demons."

He was quiet a moment before Kagome poked her head back outside the front door. "Are you coming?"

The toushin and kitsune started a second as they both looked to her with various degrees of emotion on their faces. Her expression was soft a moment before it fell as she looked away. "I'm sorry."

Yusuke moved first as he reached for her arm. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault!"

She quickly looked up into the intense eyes of the toushin before she smiled weakly. "…thank you…but you're wrong. Everything…" her voice faltered before she said quietly. "…everything that's happened…is my fault."

Kurama saw the pain in her eyes and clenched his hands into fists. He hadn't meant to hurt her – he just couldn't find it in himself to trust her so easily…and the jewel that she mentioned…what was it? Why did he have such a bad feeling about it? "Are you willing to answer my questions?" he asked, breaking the heavy silence.

Kagome lifted her head, a small flood of hope filling her before she bit her lower lip in worry. What if he didn't believe her? But…but she supposed the only thing she could do was explain everything. She looked to Yusuke's face again before she found herself calming. Even if he didn't believe her…he would stand beside her. She trusted him. "Yes." She said with a tone of finality. She seemed to gather strength in the upcoming revelation. Finally, she would be able to share what had happened in the final battle. She would be able to share the secrets of her past. Even if they didn't believe her…she shook her head quickly. They _had_ to believe her.

She didn't know what she would do if they didn't.

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger-esque end to this chapter. It's not finished yet. I'll update is as soon as I'm able. It's been kind of insane the past few months so I apologize again for not updating this sooner. For those of you watching _Searching for Shelter _keep tuned. I am working on that chapter, so hopefully within the next week or so it should be updated. Thank you for the continued support on my stories and I hope you all enjoy.


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